Chain Bound
by OzDust
Summary: My first Gilmore Girls fanfiction. Takes place when Rory is about 14. Deals with parent and child relationships. How your bound by chains to those you love. Oneshot I think.


This is my first Gilmore Girls fanfiction so it may not be that good! A little bit about the story; it takes place when Rory is about 14, I guess. It's a little AU. Amber is one of Rory's best friend back then, but she moved away abouta year later. That's about all so enjoy and please review. Oh and it may only be a one-shot unless anyone wants me to continue.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except the idea for the story and Amber. Rory and the rest of Star's Hallow belong to ASP and the WB.

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She was running, down empty street after empty street. Heart pounding, head spinning, feet urging her on. _Run _they told her, _don't look back now, run._

She sat on a rusty swing at a deserted playground. Her blue eyes, usually bright and perky now clouded over, like the gray, stormy night skies. The wind blew all around her, the empty swings beside her swaying. She wore only a thin T-shirt and capri jeans. She hadn't had time to grab a jacket before she rushed out the door, after a fight with her mom. She shivered and kicked her feet. Her swing started to rock and she got higher and higher until it seemed she would flip over the bar, into space. She ceased her kicking and slowly she came back down to earth. She sat there once again, deep in thought. Her mind drifting to galaxies miles away.

A clanging of chains jerked her back to reality. Startled she glanced at the now occupied swing next to her and rudely asked,

"Amber, what are you doing here?" The girl's green eyes flashed, as if searching for a witty comeback. She smiled and sarcastically replied,

"Well hello to you too Rory and if you want to know I saw you when I was coming home from dance." Rory glared at her shoes, as if burning a hole through them. "So Rory what brings you here on a day like this?" Amber joked. Rory's head jerked up,

"That's none of your business!" she snapped. Amber's eyes shifted away from her friend on to the dark horizon.

"Sorry," replied Amber hurt by the tone her friend had used, "Just asking." The girls lapsed into silence. Neither one moving, just listening to the wind until quietly Rory started to explain,

"We had a fight, mom and me. A big one! She wants to change everything!"

"Oh" was all Amber could utter for the moment. Once again all was quiet until thunder roared, dogs barked and Amber almost whispering said, " You shouldn't be mad at her, maybe she thought it was for the best. She could be right you know."

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? You're supposed to be my best friend!" Yelled Rory, her voice being carried away by the wind, "She wants to move! But everything is here, my friends, school, the crazy people here, Luke, my grandparents…"

"Maybe that's it. Maybe she wants to get away from it all. Start over, without your grandparents' presence haunting her, hanging over her. You know how hard it was for her growing up. You know how much her past haunts her. I know that's why we left." interrupted Amber with a shiver.

"I know that it's hard for her…Wait! We left? What do you mean? I've known you since… since forever!" exclaimed Rory. Amber brushed her straight blond bangs out of her face and pulled her coat tighter around her. "Amber what do you mean?" She asked again in a softer tone. "You can tell me." Amber glanced at her friend. Rory's wavy hair was all over and she looked hurt that her best friend was holding back something that seemed so important.

With a sigh Amber began to explain. She told Rory what nobody else knew, her mother had died when she was only five years old. How she and her father were so overcome with grief that they had moved away from their old life. Away from everything and everyone that reminded them of her. They had left everything behind, everything except a few pictures and clothes. Their past had haunted them.

"But you've always told me you just switched schools and that you parents were divorced. Why?" Rory asked.

"I didn't want everyone to feel sorry for me and to ask questions. I just wanted a normal life I guess." Answered Amber with tears streaming down her cheeks. "It hurt so much to lose her and to know that she was gone forever, I could've died myself it was that bad. And at just five too, it sucked." She added trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work though, she went on crying. Rory reached out to her friend who was now sobbing. Who was releasing years of held back emotions. Amber slid off her swing, onto the sand underneath. Rory left her swing and fell down next to her, pulling her into a hug. They sat on the sand together. One crying, the other trying to comfort her. The roles had been reversed.

Awhile later, after Amber had stopped her tears Rory asked,

" But what does all this have to do with me and mom?" Amber sniffled and got up. She stood there, standing taller then her 5"4 to the girl sitting on the ground. She looked her friend in the eye and answered,

"Rory, sometimes it's better to have a mom, even if you fight a little. You and your mom are close, don't lose that. Think about it, I'm going to go now. Later." With that said Amber turned and left, slowly walking away into the distance. Rory watched the figure disappearing into the mist that had settled around them. Amber's last words kept running through her head, _**it's better to have a mom.** She's right, I don't know what I'd do without mom_ thought Rory. She shook her head; _it's not that easy though. Everything is here. Do I sacrifice it all just to be with her,_ wondered Rory. She pondered her choices; keep everything and lose her mom or lose everything and keep her mom. Suddenly she knew what she had to do. She got up, brushed the sand off her pants and left the park. She started to run, thoughts reeling in her head. In what seemed no time at all, she had reached her destination. She tried the door. It was locked, for once, _darn_ she thought _means I'll have to talk to her tonight_. Rory knocked, once at first, quietly, then again, this time louder. The door opened slowly, revealing her mom. Her hair a mess, her face swollen, eyes puffy and red, mouth open as if trying to say something, the words not able to escape her throat. Before she could let the words fly Rory blurted out,

"Mom, I'm sorry."


End file.
